The present invention relates to electrochemical cells and more particularly to alkali metal halogen electrochemical cells.
Alkali metal-halogen electrochemical cells are highly desirable as energy sources because the electrochemical potentials between the alkali metals and the halogens are very large and these materials are comparatively light-weight. The combination of high electrochemical potentials and light weight maximizes the energy density levels.
Although halogen-alkali metal couples theoretically offer high energy density cells, problems associated with the containment of the halogens have prevented the realization of the theoretical values. The mobility of the halogens in the electrolyte results in self-discharge which lowers shelf life and reduces the realizable energy density of the cell.